Would that then reduce the confusion for the newbies and even folks
who have years, decades and thousands of miles towing experience?

Might help some, but their will always be uninformed buyers. Remember all those people who were signing up for adjustable rate mortgages?

Caveat emptor!! We are all adults and should be responsible for our own decisions/purchases.

and

SoCalDesertRider wrote:I would just name them by their GVWR. Simple and clean, easy, no confusion.

has exactly my point

Notice how it is arguable using the marketing badging (half ton, 3/4
ton, 1 ton, 150, 1500, 150HD, 1500HD, 2500, 250, etc, etc) or how
many lug nuts, or what type of axle, or how many lug nuts, or
whatever is all confusing?

Just use their GVWR

That does not change from model year to model year

My 32 year old C10 Big Ten (half ton but modified by 'big ten', which
is the HD version today) is still a 6,200 GVWR. Was back then and all
the years since we ordered it till now.

While the marketing badging went from C10 to 1500 and the Big Ten to
HD and their GVWR's from 6,200 to 7,200 to 7,600 to 8,100 and whatever
it will be in the future

But the OEM's demographics are smack on target....generally folks won't use
GVWR and the comments on this thread and other threads confirm that

My tundra I'm pretty sure has 1600 for payload and I have been super pleased towing a jayco 26bh and now hideout 29bhs. I previously had a Titan and it sucked for towing and started to fall apart at around 34k on the od

Desert Captain wrote:Watch the payloads of all the trucks you are considering as that will usually be the weak link of any half ton. Dodge, Toyota and Nissan are often a little light. Tundra s are nice trucks but are very thirsty.

If mileage is a major concern the Eccoboost is the way to go but anything over 6000# will tow at about ten mpg just like a V8 gasser. The 5.0L Ford would be my first choice.

Quite thirsty? My Tundra gets 17 to 18 unloaded and 10 to 12 while towing. I don't think the others can do much better other than the ecoboost when it is not towing. I have heard that even the ecoboost gets about the same while towing.

If I were looking today, I would consider the ecoboost but until it gets a few years under its belt, I would hesitate. I suppose it also depends on how much you are going to be towing and if this is going to be a daily driver for you.

I am a Toyota fan as well and went for the Tundra because of the dependability of these things. I also travel light and am not concerned about the payloads I carry. Since you have already made up your mind about a half ton, you options to up the capacity will move you in the direction mentioned earlier. If you want to get a standard half ton with a great towing package, the Tundra will be a good option.

It all depends on what you are going to tow and how much you want to haul. Any half ton is going to have some limits here. Good luck and have fun looking.

I will keep it short. I had an 04 Titan, loved the truck. Bought a 6k lb "dry" TT and it was not a good experience. Had plenty of power, but had many white knuckle experiences. I ended up getting a 2500 HD with the Duramax, there where no more white knuckles and towing was like a good dream. After buying the Dmax, I actually weighed the camper, it was 8k lbs on our way back from a camping trip. No wonder it was a nightmare to pull. I loved the Titan and would probably own another one, but i would not pull a camper over 6k lbs loaded.

I have a 2009 f150 5.4 3.55 supercab I tow boats in florida up to 4000lbs it does fine. Last year I bought a 25 ft Komfort TT when loaded weighs 7300 with a hitch weight of 1100lbs. Since I planned towing out west, 2 trips so far, I bought a low mile 2011 F250 crew 6.2 liter gas with a 8 ft bed 3.73 rear end. with a wd hitch and anti sway. I know my f150 as configured would not have been adaquate on payload, 6.5% grade or stability. I average 11 MPG in the mountains and am very satisfied with the 3/4 ton, it is stable, the intragraded trailer brake controler is seemless and the tow haul works great both up and down hill.

It seems that in my travels and in reading this and other forums, that Fords are in abundance as TV's; is that a valid assumption and if so why? I'm very intrigued with the F150 Ecoboost.

Thanks for any light on this topic.
Eddie

I would guess. It's because they are the most popular, and best selling. Why? For me, It is as much about the inside ergonomics. Every thing, including the cruise control is where it should be. Seats are more comfortable, and it does not seem as cheap as the otheres. I also like the way it drives, and pulles. Just a better feel to it. Plus they seem to last, and last. Mine is 9 years old, and runs, drives, and looks as good as it did then. and it has not been garage kept

Not going to say they are better trucks than GM, or Ram. Just that more people like them. WHY? Could be a good reason.

All the trucks mentioned will prolly do what you want. But for me, Fords just feel better doing it.
I would seriously think about the Tundra. It is known to have a weak frame, and tailgate, Plus low GVWR. AND has not been updated since it was made a full sized truck. Shoot, they are still using the years old
Commercials to try to sell it.

Know nothing about the Titian. Do know that GM had a problem with it's hitches a while back, but seem to have that fixed.

Satisfied 2007 Tundra CrewMax 5.7 owner here. The Tundra would be a great choice if you like the Tundra. As to the "weak frame" myth, that was Ford marketing hype due to the F150 getting badly beaten by the new Tundra in every towing shootout back in 2007. Ford had to respond, couldn't do it with performance in '07 so they hyped their "fully boxed" frame, which is probably more rigid than the others. There's hundreds of thousands of Tundras in service now, many towing over their limits with no frame issues. The Tundra's frame is every bit as strong as the competition. As to the tailgate, the early builds like mine had the lousy tailgate, but that was corrected in mid '08. Drive them all and pick one that is suited for your needs in terms of equipment, payload, etc, and decide from there. The Tundra's body of work is well known now so you can research all that yourself. What it comes down to is some people like Ford, some like GM, etc.